Washington Report

The 86th Infantry Brigade (Mountain) took over the training of Ukrainian troops in Germany last week as the war in Ukraine today enters its fifth year.

New aircraft and vehicles for the National Guard not included in the original budget request were in the fiscal 2026 defense appropriations President Donald Trump signed Feb. 3.

Soldiers with the 28th Infantry Division won the innovation competition at the Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition last week in Huntsville, Alabama.

A new Hudson Institute report delivers a stark warning: the U.S. Air Force could be defeated by China in a future conflict if it does not fundamentally change its force design and operational approach.

The Army National Guard formally established a new leadership tradition Feb. 12, 2026, presenting the inaugural Lt. Gen. Herbert R. Temple Jr. Leadership Award to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas Malone and Sgt. 1st Class Danielle Beasley.

The Department of War has designated the National All-Domain Warfighting Center in Northern Michigan as a national range for deep uncrewed aerial systems training.

Lt. Col. Eric “Rebel” Emerson, a fighter squadron commander with the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Fighter Wing, received the 2024 Lt. Col. Anthony C. Shine Award at a ceremony last week at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Gen. Steven Nordhaus, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told attendees at the 28th annual NGAUS Industry Day that it’s the defense industry that provides the equipment that enables the U.S. military to successfully conduct recent operations like Absolute Resolve in Venezuela and Midnight Hammer in Iran.

Retired Col. Peter Boone, a former Georgia Air National Guard C-130 Hercules navigator with extensive legislative liaison experience, is taking over as the Government Affairs manager for Air National Guard programs at NGAUS.

More than 100 National Guardsmen from nine states gathered at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., last week to recite the oath of enlistment and extend their service contracts.

Three Army National Guard Soldiers are set complete at the 2026 Winter Olympics now underway in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Three District of Columbia Air National Guard F-16 pilots received the military’s highest flying honor Feb. 1 for shooting down Iranian drones aimed at Israel in April 2024.